House Democrats elect Hakeem Jeffries as first Black leader in Congress

Hakeem Jeffries said his caucus would look for opportunities to work with Republicans, but would also resist extremism ‘whenever necessary’. Photograph: José Luis Magaña/AP

House Democrats on Wednesday elected the New York congressman Hakeem Jeffries as their new leader, making him the first Black American to lead a major political party in Congress after Nancy Pelosi, the current speaker, announced that she was stepping aside to pave the way for a new generation.

Jeffries, 52, will assume the role of minority leader when the new Congress is sworn in early next year, inheriting the position held for nearly two decades by Pelosi, a towering figure in Democratic politics who was the first female speaker.